Means for promoting accurate shooting.



PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

F. GOURTINADE.

MEANS FOR PROMOTING ACCURATE SHOOTING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZG. 1905.

WITNESSES 3'42: pea s [oarfz 220 do @24 gm 7 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCOIS UOURTINADE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR PROMOTING ACCURATE SHOOTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 26,1905. Serial No. 266.930.

l atenteoi May 8, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANooIs COURTINADE, a citizen of France, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Promoting Accurate Shooting, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

- This invention relates to means or apparatus for promoting accurate shooting, and especially for teaching or promoting accurate shooting at animals or objects in motion and the object thereof is to provide improved means or apparatus for accomplishing this result which may be used either at home or in public places of amusement and whereby the diversion of shooting at living objects or other objects in motion may be provided under conditions which are safe and not cruel 0r costly, a further object being to provide means or apparatus of the class specified in connection with which mice or rats may be employed when it is desired to shoot at living objects in motion.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are desig nated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional side view of my improved means or apparatus for promoting accurate shooting at animals or objects in motion; Fig. 2, a partial section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a plan view of a part of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention, as shown in the drawings, I provide a base, box, or receptacle a, which may be supported at any desired height by means of standards, legs, or other devices at and which may be of any desired size and within which is supported an upright frame b,which in the form of construction shown is substantially elliptical, but which may be of any desired shape in cross-section, the said frame in the construction shown consisting of side members 12 one of which is shown in section in Fig. 2, together with a zigzag or other form of inclined and winding track or way 6 which extends from the bottom of the frame I) to the top thereof, and a part of said spiral track or way is also shown in Fig. 2.

In the bottom of the box or receptacle a is a supplemental trap-box a having a hinged door a and in which rats or mice may be placed, and in the form of construction shown the frame I) is provided at the top thereof with a house or box 0, having a doorc at one side, with which the track or way 12 connects.

In practice rats or mice may be kept in the trap-box a and may be liberated at any time and may be caused to run or travel up the way 6 as shown at d, and under the rules governing the shooting the rat or mouse can only be shot at when in motion. The party shooting stands at a predetermined distance from the frame I), and in practice the gun to be shot will be loaded, preferably with a missile which will not seriously injure the rat or mouse, but which will be such as to indicate clearly by the action of the rat or mouse whether or not. the latter was hit. I prefer this method of practicing shooting in order that the rat or mouse may not be killed or seriously injured; but it will be apparent that another charge may be employed, and the rat or mouse may be killed when hit.

If the rat or mouse is killed, it falls into the box or receptacle a, from which it may be removed, and if struck by a missile which will not kill or seriously injure the rat or mouse may still be knocked from the way 6 in which event it will fall into the box or recep tacle a and may again be caused to travel up the track or way 6 and it will be understood that the said mouse or rat may be shot at when ascending or descending the said track or way; but if the rat or mouse reaches the box or house 0 it cannot be shot at while therein, and any suitable means may be provided for driving the rat or mouse out of said box or house.

Another attractive feature of the device consists in providing at a suitable elevation an incline track or way 0, which connects with the track or way 6 at e and on which is mounted an open-work or other car f, which travels on rails or similar devices e on the track or way e, and this car is provided at its front end with a door g, which is pivoted at g and beneath which is pivoted a catch-lever h, having an upwardly-directed forward end 77, and a downwardly-directed rearward end 721 The end it is adapted to engage a stop 6 on the track or way 6 and located near the frame I), and the end 7L2 is adapted to engage the lower end of the door g, while the upper endof said door is projected upwardly, as shown at g and at the top thereof is secured IIO an elastic cord 9, which is also secured to the rear end of the carf at g On the outer end of the track or way 6 is placed a target i, in the center i of which is a hole, and rearwardly of the target i and near the righthand side thereof, as shown in the drawings, is pivoted a latch W, the front end of which is adapted to engage a backwardly-directed catch member i on the car f, as shown in Fig. 3. p

In practice a rat or mouse is placed in the carf, and said car is held adjacent to the target i, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, by the latch i and the marksman fires at the target i. If he hits the center thereof, the missile or ball passes through the hole i and strikes the pivoted latch i and releases the car f. The car f passes downwardly over the track or way 6, and the rear end of the catch-lever it strikes the stop 6*, and this releases the door g, and the cord 12 opens said door and the rat or mouse leaves the car f and passes onto the spiral way 6 of the frame b.

Any number of the carsf may be provided, and said cars may be of any desired construction, all that is necessary in this connection being to provide a device of this class which is released from the target '1', when the center of the target is hit and the door of which is open when the car reaches the frame 1).

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising an open base box or receptacle, and an upright open frame placed therein, said upright frame being provided with a winding track or way which extends from the bottom to the top thereof, and said base box or receptacle being provided with a trap-box having a hinged door, substantially as shown and described.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising an open base box or receptacle, and an upright open frame placed therein,

said upright frame being provided with a winding track or way which extends from the bottom to the top thereof, and said base box or receptacle being provided with a trapbox having a hinged door, and the top of the frame being also provided with a box having an opening with which said track or way connects, substantially as shown and described.

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a base box or receptacle, an upright frame mounted therein and provided with an inclined and winding track or way which extends from the bottom to the top.

thereof, an incline track or way at one sideof said frame which connects with said firstincline track or way, a car movable on said track or way, and means whereby the ,car may be detachably connected with said target and released when the center of the target is hit, said car being also provided with a door which is automatically opened when the car reaches said frame, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, an upright frame, an incline track or way at one side of said frame and connecting therewith, a car placed on the incline track or way, a target also placed on said incline track or way, and means for detachably connecting the car with the target and releasing the car when the center of the target is hit, said car being also provided with a door which is automatically opened when thecar reaches said frame, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingas my invention Ihave signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 24th day of June, 1905.

FRANQOIS COURTINADE,

Witnesses: O. E. MULREANY, F. A. STEWART.

named track or way, a target placed on said 

